Everyone is getting more stuffed than the turkey this Thanksgiving. Everyone, that is, except the family dog. It’s tempting to spoil him on this special day, but you have to be careful with what kind of food you give him. Check out this blog from our Pet Auto Safety.com website for holiday food which could be harmful to your dog – No Turkey Bones About It – Food Harmful to Dogs.

What is a setter dog breed? Setter dog breeds evolved from spaniel dog breeds which began in Spain. When the advent of firearms changed the way people hunted, a different kind of dog was needed. And so evolved the spaniel and setter gundogs. The term setters came about because certain spaniel gundogs were taught to find game, then sit and wait for the hunter. Sitting, or setting, is no longer practiced. Setters working as gundogs today freeze when they find game, then retrieve it for the hunter.

The English Setter dog breed may be the oldest of the sporting dogs, perhaps as early as the 14th century. But modern cultivation did not begin until the 1800s in England. Edward Laverack is credited with developing the breed for show. Then Purcell Llewellin acquired some English Setters and re-developed them as gun dogs. Today, the show dog English Setter is larger, has a larger deeper muzzle, and only comes in what is called a belton pattern.

The belton pattern on the English Setter refers to the roan ticking of a color with white. There is a blue belton English Setter which is white with black ticking, lemon belton (white with light brown or lemon yellow ticking), orange belton (white with orange ticking, liver belton (white with brown ticking), and a white with black and tan ticking. The field dog English Setter can be belton colors but they can also be white with solid patches of color such as black, lemon, orange, liver, or black and tan (tricolor). The liver and lemon colors are rare in both the show and field English Setter.

The show dog English Setter stands about 24-25 inches high and weighs about 50 to 65 pounds. The field dog English Setter is generally about ten pounds lighter. Both varieties have an oval skull, long and lean head, dark brown eyes, and a long and square muzzle with pendant flews. His ears are low set and his tail is carried straght out and tapers to a fine point. The hair of the English Setter is flat and of medium length. He needs brushing every two to three days and clipping every few months.

Other than the shedding, the English Setter can make a quiet calm house pet if he is properly exercised. He is lively and playful and needs at least one hour of exercise daily. He is also affectionate, easy going, and relatively easy to train. The English Setter is good with other pets and does well with children. His friendly nature means he is good with strangers too so he does not make a good watchdog. He may also be inclined to have separation anxiety if left alone.

Like most big dogs, the English Setter is at risk for hip and elbow dysplasia. This risk can be reduced with proper breeding so if you are considering buying an English Setter, be sure to thoroughly research the breeder. A good breeder will have hip dysplasia tested in both parents through the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals. Another test which may have been done is an eye test as the English Setter dog breed also has risks of blindness. Deafness is also an issue and the predominantly white English Setter dog breeds are prone to skin allergies.

Whether you are looking for a show dog, gun dog, or house pet, the English Setter is a good dog. As a show dog, his belton coloring makes him a beautiful dog. As a gun dog, he loves to work. And as a house pet, he is a friendly companioin. To learn more about the English Setter dog breed, check out the “English Setter Comprehensive Owner’s Guide“.

The Kooiker dog, also called the Kooikerhondje, is a spaniel dog breed from the Netherlands. He has a friendly and moderate temperament to make him a good companion. But he was originally bred to help duck hunters. The Kooiker dog doesn’t point out or retrieve ducks. According to “The New Encyclopedia of the Dog” by Bruce Fogle, the Kooiker dog entices the ducks to swim closer to shore and within shotgun range with his “antics and bushy white tail”.

The Kooiker dog is a relatively small spaniel weighing about 20 pounds or so. The hair on his face is short, but the hair on his body is heavy and long. I am reminded of a Shetland Sheepdog when I see his build, tail, and feathered coat. Even his coloring somewhat resembles a Shetland Sheepdog. He does not have the saddle back coloring but he has the white face with nose stripe, white chest, belly, legs, and tail tip. The rest is brown with black tips. His nose does not taper as much as a Shetland Sheepdog and his ears seem to have longer hair. He also appears to have longer legs.

Most top viewed posts are from 2010. Is that because these posts are better or because the 2009 posts were the firsts posts when the site was not yet popular and the 2011 posts are too new? Also, most posts are about dog breeds. Do you like reading about dog breeds? Considering the views you would think so. But the top viewed posts have very few if any comments.

At this time, the most comments on one post is 5. All of the most commented posts are from 2011. This is probably because the American Dog Blog has more visitors than it did in 2009 and 2010. Thank you everyone for reading and posting comments on my American Dog Blog!

As you may have read in my previous post, my dog Sephi was not doing too well. I am very sad to say that on Wednesday I had to let her go. Her illness was sudden and severe and there was very little chance of recovery. It was hoped that her treatment she received Monday evening would give her some time but it only gave her a half a day where she could at least get up and move around. But she still wouldn’t eat and she only moved around when she had to go potty or get a drink of water. By Tuesday night, she was getting worse again and by Monday it was obvious that she was suffering. Letting her go was very difficult and I miss her terribly. A friend of mine sent me a poem by an anonymous author and I wanted to share that with you here:

A Special Place
You have a special place, Dear God
That I know you'll always keep.
A special place reserved for dogs,
To peacefully fall asleep.
A place with fluffy pillows,
And a yard for hiding bones,
With maybe a little babbling creek,
That rushes over stones.
With wide green fields and flowers,
For those who never knew
Of running, playing freely
Under sky of perfect blue.
Lord, I know you keep this special place,
And so, to you I pray
For one oh so special dog
Who came to you today.
She was full of strength and love,
And so very, very wise.
The puppy look she once had,
This morning left her eyes.
She will be dearly missed, Lord,
This special love of mine.
But now, she will romp and play
In your land that's so divine.
Speak to my baby softly, please
With a warm hug and hello.
She’s a special gift to you, Dear Lord
From me - who loves her so.